English
by PegasusHydra
Summary: Nothing can be perfect at one thing in one try. They need to learn and improve as they go along. This is how Calypso learned English from her isolated island of Ogygia.


**Sorry for not updating anything. Here's a random oneshot about Calypso. Sorry if any of the translations are inaccurate. Obviously, I used Google Translate. Characters may be OOC.**

* * *

Calypso wiped her forehead with her arm and looked up from her garden. Her garden wasn't much yet, but she was planning on making it more beautiful. There was a patch of moonlace, a new flower that she discovered (one of the more beautiful ones, in her opinion), a grape vine that rivaled those of Dionysus himself, and some other flowers that accompanied each other quite nicely.

Calypso saw a spray of water coming toward her island. _A visitor,_ she thought. _Perhaps it is Hermes._

She went out to the front to greet the visitor which indeed turned out to be Hermes. Hermes was dressed differently today, and wasn't wearing a French suit like usual. He was wearing strange blue clothes and a hat with a bag slung over his shoulder. He had salt-and-pepper hair, which was a new look.

She bowed. "Kaló̱s í̱rthate , Kýrie Ermí̱." _Welcome, Lord Hermes._

Hermes smiled and said something that she didn't understand—a new language perhaps.

"Vlépo̱ échete máthei mia néa gló̱ssa," she guessed. _I see you've learned a new language._

"Giatí , nai," he said. _Why, yes._ "Vlépo̱ óti akóma protimoún na miloún sta elli̱niká. Íso̱s eínai epeidí̱ den eíste polý áptaista se opoiadí̱pote álli̱ gló̱ssa ?"_I see you still prefer speaking in Greek. Perhaps it's because you're not very fluent in any other language?_ He gave her a sly grin.

"Galli atque optime Latine loqui possum, gratias," Calypso said rolling her eyes. _I can speak Latin and French very well, thank you._ Was this all he came here for? He usually had something to deliver or some news, though just dropping by to talk wasn't so bad. It gave her human company which was something she didn't have on this island.

Hermes laughed. "Lorem dubitandi, mi Calypso. Mox per iocum." _I'm sorry for doubting you, my dear Calypso. I was just joking around._

Calypso smiled politely. She wished it could be like this more often. "Tu fidem habere possum loqui aliis linguis. An tibi aliquid novi?" _Well, you have proof that I can speak other languages. Do you have any news?_

Hermes said something in that strange language, but didn't notice until Calypso didn't reply for a while.

"Ah, je suis désolé. Je ne savais pas, " he said. _Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't realize._

Calypso was pretty sure he didn't realize that he slipped into a different language.

"S'il vous plaît dites-moi des nouvelles du monde extérieur,"Calypso said, stifling a laugh. _Please tell me news of the outside world. _« Il me tarde d'être en dehors de nouveau. Il s'ennuie ici, sur une île isolée. » _I__ long to be outside again. It gets lonely here, on an isolated island._

Hermes didn't acknowledge the last comment and said something under his breath. "En fait, les dieux ont déménagé dans un autre pays appelé l'Amérique, ou les États-Unis, si vous voulez.» _Actually, the gods have moved to another country called America, or the United States if you will._

Calypso thought about that. The gods moved following the flame of the West every so often, and a hero came to her shores too, every thousand years or so. Maybe a hero would come soon. But if he did, he might break her heart again. Was it worth it?

"Donc, la flamme de l'Ouest propose une fois de plus? » Calypso asked cautiously. _So the flame of the West moved once again?_

"Oui. De nouvelles cultures, de nouvelles langues, il est assez intéressant, » he said. _Yes. New cultures, new language, it's pretty interesting._

Calypso laughed softly. "Quelle est la langue appelé? Américaine? » _What's the language called? American?_

Hermes laughed and ruffled her hair. "Non, il est appelé en anglais. Voulez-vous que je vous enseignez? » _No, it's called English. Would you like me to teach you?_

"Oui, s'il vous plaît! » Calypso pleaded. _Yes, please!_

"Je ne sais pas ... Etes-vous sûr que vous pouvez le manipuler?" Hermes mused. _I don't know… Are you sure you can handle it?_

"S'il vous plaît Hermes. Il ne peut pas être si difficile, » Calypso said rolling her eyes. _Please Hermes. It can't be that hard._

Hermes laughed. "Je sais. Vous êtes un étudiant rapide. Allons, allons à la plage. « _I know. You're a quick learner. Come on, let's go to the beach._

* * *

"Eísai schedón ekeí , Calypso ," Hermes said, egging her on. _You're almost there Calypso._

"Eínai móno eíkosi éxi grámmata," Calypso said rolling her eyes as Hermes wrote the last on the alphabet on the sand. _It's only twenty-six letters._

"Af̱tó eínai Z," he concluded. _This is Z._

"Nomízo̱ óti écho̱ to pí̱ra," Calypso muttered taking one last glance at the alphabet. _I think I've got it._

"Sti̱ synécheia, parakaloúme na paracho̱rí̱sei páno̱ mou ti̱ sofía sou," Hermes mocked. _Then please bestow onto me your wisdom._

Calypso stuck her tongue out at Hermes and allowed the waves to wash the writing away.

"A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T,U,V, W, X, Y, Z," Calypso recited as she rewrote the uppercase and lowercase alphabet in the sand.

Hermes said something in English and switched back to Greek. "To í̱xera óti tha í̱tan éna grí̱goro mathi̱tí̱ ! Tó̱ra gia na kánei ta lógia me af̱tá." _I knew you were a quick learner! Now to make words with these._

Calypso buried her head in her hands and let out a sigh. This would be harder and more tedious than she thought.

"Allá nomízo̱ óti pí̱re arketá apó ti̱n i̱méra mas," Hermes said getting up to his feet. _I think that's enough for today._

"Tha thélate kápoia deípno ?" Calypso asked hurrying to her feet. _Would you like some dinner?_ She didn't want her latest company to leave so soon, though she agreed with him about the English lesson.

Hermes shook his head sadly. "Lypámai , allá prépei na páo̱ píso̱ ston Ólympo." _I'm sorry, but I need to go back to Olympus._

Calypso looked down at her sandals.

"Tha epanéltho̱ áv̱rio . Ypóschesi̱," he said. _I'll come back tomorrow. I promise._

"Eícha í̱ro̱es pou mou eípe óti , paróla af̱tá poté den ekplí̱ro̱se ti̱n ypóschesí̱ tous," Calypso said defensively. _I've had heroes who told me that, yet they never fulfilled their promise._

Hermes chuckled. "Próstimo . Orkízomai katá Ýdata ti̱s Stygós , pou tha kratí̱sei ti̱n epískepsi̱ méchri pou teliká sas didáxei angliká ." _Fine. I swear upon the River Styx that I'll keep visiting until I finally teach you English._

A smile came on Calypso's face. She got on her tiptoes and gave Hermes a light kiss on the cheek. "Na eíste prosektikoí schetiká me to taxídi sas epistrépsei ston Ólympo , árchontá mou." _Be careful on your journey back to Olympus, my lord._

Calypso couldn't but help but recall all those times when she bid farewell to the heroes who landed on her island. Sure, Hermes definitely wasn't a hero, but they all made some empty promises. And Hermes was a god, not a hero, and he could come back as often as he wanted. It was just that it wasn't as often as Calypso wanted.

Hermes gave her his signature grin and teleported away back to Olympus.

* * *

"Gýrises píso̱," Calypso said in surprise as she went to go greet Hermes. _You came back._

Hermes said something in English and waited for to respond. Calypso put her hands on her hips. "Lypámai. Xechásate xaná . As xekiní̱soume , prépei na échoume?" _Sorry. Forgot again. Let's get started, shall we?_

"Thank… you… Hermes," Calypso said slowly getting hang of the language.

Hermes grinned. "See Calypso? I knew you could do it!"

Calypso took a while to decipher the meaning. She smiled back. But she did improve significantly. Time was hard to measure in Ogygia, but she learned a few simple phrases and some terms by dinnertime.

"You, um, will be coming again tomorrow?" she said hopefully.

"An af̱tó eínai ó, ti thélete . Tha káno̱ mia symfo̱nía mazí sas . Tha prospathí̱soume na gyalísoun epáno̱ se angliká sas , kai egó̱ tha sas férei kápoia néa apó ton éxo̱ kósmo," Hermes said, getting his meaning out quickly. _If that's what you want. I'll make a deal with you. You try to polish up on your English, and I'll bring news from the outside world._

"Sas ef̱charistó̱," Calypso said sincerely and Hermes left. _Thank you._

* * *

It went like that for a few days. Calypso learned quickly, but pretended that she didn't know, just so Hermes would visit more often. But that didn't mean she was perfect; she was partially fluent. She still learned.

One day she tried to look to the past so she could pick up more of the language. She doubted it would be much, but it was worth a try.

She closed her eyes and concentrated. She was surprised with what she saw. She whizzed by many scenes, maybe some from different times with different clothes. She heard catches of English here and there, and the scenes stopped.

* * *

"Hello, Lord Hermes," Calypso greeted.

"Nice to see you again Calypso," Hermes said. "Your English has gotten better. You're pronunciation is more accurate."

"It has been like that for a while now, Lord Hermes," Calypso admitted.

Hermes raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well—"

"And you've been in America for a while now," she added.

"Yes, we have," Hermes sighed. "Sorry for not telling you, Calypso. We were pretty busy since we moved. It was a whole different continent, and the gods were partaking mortal activities a bit more often than we usually did."

"Its fine Lord Hermes," Calypso bowed. "I guess you fulfilled your promise."

"The outside world has changed a lot," Hermes said. "It is so different from Ancient Greece. Sometimes I long for that, but sometimes that huge change is nice too." He looked at her. "But you, your home still stays the same. I guess that can be good or bad, depending on what way you think about it."

"That doesn't mean I want to stay here forever," Calypso said. "No company, no change. I'd like to see what's going on outside too, and experience the life there."

"Sadly, that is not my decision," Hermes said, not meeting her eyes. "And maybe it's better for you to stay here for now. There's a prophecy that tells of a hero that will determine the fate of Olympus. Who knows what's coming next."

"Maybe someday, Calypso. Someday," Hermes said softly. "I'll be going now."

He vanished without even waiting for a good-bye, and Calypso just stood there, mourning the loss of a new companion.


End file.
